Movie camera gun



May 14, 1968 J. w. RYAN ETAL MOV I E CAMERA GUN 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1966 VIM/7R0 L-ZEIGNER Mme! P. k/Epr [pa 11v 4. 57/3221) B MMM 1777021 51;

May 14, 1968 J. w. RYAN ETAL MOVIE CAMERA GUN 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 28, 1966 X w 2% w 7% w 32% AU M Z w wmw M i Iww:

May 14, 1968 J. w. RYAN ETAL MOVIE CAMERA GUN I I...- IIIIIIIIIIIIII United States Patent 3,382,608 MUVIE (IAMERA GUN John W. Ryan, licl Air, Willard L. Zeigner, Fountain Valley, Warren D. Kabot, Manhattan lleach, and Edwin 0. Stastny, Santa Ana, Califi, assignors to Mattel, Inc, a corporation of California Filed Feb. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 530,527 Claims. (Cl. 46-175) The present invention relates to a toy gun of the capfiring type, and more particularly to a toy which simulates a non-weapon article such as a movie camera and which is readily convertible to a simulated firearm capable of firing caps in rapid succession in a machine gunlike manner.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toy having the appearance of an innocuous non-weapon article, but which is capable of being quickly and easily converted to a simulated gun, thereby having a great appeal to children.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy which simulates a hand-type movie camera and which is readily convertible to a simulated gun by manipulation of a trigger member.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a toy simulating a hand-type movie camera and having a simulated component of a gun hidden therein and being selectively exposable.

An additional object of the present invention is to pro vide a toy having the general appearance of a hand type movie camera and having a simulated gun barrel removably mounted therewithin and extensible therefrom to convert the toy to a simulated firearm or gun.

A further object is to provide a toy that may be converted in appearance from a hand-type movie camera to a gun, which toy incorporates a cap-firing mechanism capable of firing caps in rapid succession to simulate the sounds of a machine gun.

A still further object is the provision of such a capfiring toy, which can be converted in appearance from a simulated hand-type movie camera to a simulated gun, wherein the cap-firing mechanism is capable of firing caps in rapid succession under the control of a spring-type driving mechanism, or may be manually operated to fire only a single cap.

An additional object is to provide such a cap-firing, simulated movie camera and gun toy which is so constructed as to enable the conversion of the appearance of the toy and the actuation of the cap-firing mechanism, through the actuation of a single trigger member.

According to the present invention, the toy comprise a housing simulatin a hand-type movie camera and a gun barrel telescopically mounted within the housing so that it will normally be hidden therewithin. Upon actuation of a trigger member movably mounted on the handle portion of the housing, the barrel is slidably biased out of the housing by a spring means to convert the movie camera to a simulated gun. The toy further com-- prises a cap-firing mechanism which is adapted to continuously fire caps in rapid succession under the control of a constant torque spring driving means, or which may be operated manually by the trigger member to fire only a single cap each time the trigger is actuated. The selection of rapid or single firing of caps is effected through the use of a manually operable selector button mounted on the housing.

The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

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In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a toy con structed according to the principles of the instant invention, with parts broken away and the toy shown in a gunsimulating condition;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the other side of the instant toy, with parts broken away and parts shown in section, showing the toy in a movie camerasirnulating condition;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the toy shown in FIGURE 2, showing the toy as the cap-firing mechanism thereof is being actuated by a manually operable trigger member;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURES 2 and 3, showing the cap-firing mechanism of the instant toy as it is being actuated by a spring-driven actuating means;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 77 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are enlarged fragmentary views of the spring-driving means for the cap firing mechanism of the instant toy, showing the spring member when it is fully wound on an output drum and when it is fully wound on a take-up drum, respectively.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention, FIGURES l and 2 illustrate a toy 10 having a housing 12 which is formed in a manner to sim ulate a movie camera housing and which is provided with a depending handle or grip portion 14 and a movable trigger 16. Slida-bly mounted in an elongated opening 18 of the housing 12 is a first telescoping section 2% of a gun barrel-simulating member 22. The section 20 has diagonal ribs 24 formed on the inner end thereof which are adapted to cooperate with complementary ribs 26 formed on the housing 12 to limit the outer movement of the section 29. A second telescoping section 28 is slida-bly mounted within the first section 2e and is provided with diagonal ribs 34} on the inner end thereof which are adapted to cooperate with complementary ribs 32 on the first section 20 to limit the outer movement of the second section 28. The second section 28 preferably is formed with an enlarged outer end 29 to simulate the lens housing of a camera.

Both the telescoping gun barrel sections 20 and 28 are biased toward the outwardly extending, gun-simulating position of FIGURE 1 by a helical compression spring 36 which has one end thereof surrounding a center or guide post 38 within the housing opening 18, and the other end thereof in engagement with the inner end of the second telescoping gun barrel section 28. The gun barrel sections 20 and 28 are retainable within the housing 12 to maintain the spring 36 in a compressed condition, as shown in FIGURE 2, by an elongated rod-like locking member 40 having an upper, generally U-shaped end 42 which is adapted to extend through an aperture 44 in the housing i2. Each of the telescoping gun barrel sections 20 and 28 is provided with a slot or opening in the lower portion of the inner end thereof which is adapted to be vertically aligned with the housing opening 44 when the sections are disposed within the housing 12' in the position shown in FIGURE 2. In this position, the end 42 of the locking member 46 is adapted to extend upwardly through the openings or slots in the housing and in the first and second gun barrel sections 20 and 28, respectively, to retain these sections within the housing 12 against the force of the spring 36. The engagement of the enlarged end 29 of the section 28 with the outer end of the section 20 maintains the latter within the housing.

The opposite or lower end of the locking member 45) is pivotally connected to the upper portion of the trigger 16 in any suitable manner, so that predetermined movement of the trigger will move the upper end 42 of the locking lever into or out of locking engagement with the gun barrel sections 20 and 28. The trigger '16 is pivotally mounted on the handle 14 about a pivot pin 46, and is normally biased in a clockwise direction, as seen in FIGURE 2, by a torsion spring 48 surrounding the pin 46 and having one end in engagement with the housing and the other end secured to a lower portion of the trigger. As shown in solid lines in FIGURE 2, the locking member 4% is disposed in a locking position to retain the telescoping gun barrel sections 26 and 23 within the housing 12 when the trigger l assumes its normal position under the biasing force of the torsion spring 43.

The upper portion of the trigger 16 is provided with an upstanding projection Stl which is adapted to engage the adjacent end of a lever or hammer arm 52 that is rotatably mounted on a pin 54 mounted on the housing 12. Laterally spaced from the lever 52 and mounted on the pin 54 is an upwardly extending hammer 56 having a laterally extending pin 58 secured thereto. A torsion spring 60 surrounds the pivot pin 54 and has one end thereof secured to the housing 12 and the other end thereof in engagement with the hammer pin 58 to normally bias the hammer 56 in a counter-clockwise direction about the pivot pin 54, as shown in FIGURE 2. A pawl 62 has one end pivotally mounted on the pin 58 and is biased in a counter-clockwise direction (as seen in FIGURE 2) by a torsion spring 64 which surrounds the pin 58 and has one end connected to the pawl and the other end in engagement with the hammer arm 52. The other end of the pawl 62 is provided with a laterally extending tab 66 that is adapted to engage the teeth 68 on the periphery of a ratchet member 70 that is rigidly secured to a pin 72 rotatably mounted on the housing 12 (see FIGURES 2 and 3).

One end of a spring member '73 mounted on the housing 12 is in engagement with the ratchet 70 to limit both counter-clockwise and clockwise rotation thereof. Disposed adjacent the ratchet 70 and also rigidly mounted on the pivot pin 72, is an anvil member 74 which is generally cylindrical in configuration and is provided with a plurality of equally circumferentially spaced spikes or cap advance pins 76 on the periphery thereof. The housing 12 is provided with a mounting pin 78 disposed beneath the anvil 74 and adapted to rotata'bly support a roll 80 of a cap strip 82. The strip of caps 82, for use in this specific embodiment of the invention, preferably is provided with perforations (not shown) at intervals spaced mid-way between the explosive charges (not shown), also provided on the cap strip at equally spaced intervals. The spacing between the perforations on the cap strip 82 preferably is substantially the same as the circumferential spacing of the spikes '76 on the anvil 74. It will be readily seen, therefore, that clockwise rotation of the anvil 74, with one of its spikes 76 extending through one of the perforations on the cap strip 82, will rotate the cap roll 8t? in a clockwise direction on the pin 78 and pull the cap strip 82 therefrom to advance it in an arcuate path on the periphery of the anvil 74. After the explosive charges on the leading portion of the cap strip 82 have been fired by the striking of the hammer 56 against the cap strip on the anvil 74, as will be more specifically described hereinafter, the used portion of the strip moves downwardly from the anvil 74 and along a guide member 84 mounted on the housing 12, which leads to an opening $6 in a lower portion of the housing 12 for the removal of the used portion of the cap strip (see FIGURES 2 and 3). Any remnants of exploded caps sticking to the anvil 74 are scraped therefrom by a stripper or skimming member 87 which is disposed closely adjacent to the lower portion of the anvil.

For the purpose of enabling the mounting of new rolls of cap strips on the pin '78, and to provide access to the cap-firing mechanism of the instant toy, a door 88 is provided on one side of the housing 12, and is pivotally mounted at d0 on the housing (see FIGURE 2). The door 38 preferably is so constructed that it may be snap-fitted into a closed position on the housing 12 and may be easily opened by rotating it in a counter-clockwise direction (as seen in FIGURE 2) about the pivot pin 9i].

The lower portion of the hammer 56 has a rearwardly extending lug 92 which is adapted to be engaged by the radially extending and equally circumferentially spaced teeth 94 of a star wheel 26 that is supported on one end of a shaft 98 rotatably mounted on the housing 12 (see FIGURE 2). An output drum 109 is mounted on and adjacent to the other end of the shaft 98 and is provided with a gear member 162 on the outer side thereof, as shown in FIGURES 2, 6 and 7. The output drum 10% forms part of a Negator spring driving means, which further comprises a smaller take-up drum 104 disposed rearwardly of the output drum 1% and secured to a shaft 1% rotata'bly mounted on the housing 12. A flat coil spring N8 is initially mounted on the take-up drum 164 in a pre-set coiled condition and has its ends secured to the take-up drum 104 and the output drum 109, as specifically shown in FIGURES 8 and 9. Negator is a trademark of Ametek, Incorporated, and the operation of this type of spring driving means is fully described in an advertising pamphlet entitled The Hunter Negator and distributed by the Hunter Spring Division of Ametek, Incorporated (copyright 1964).

Basically, the Negator spring means disclosed herein serves as a constant torque motor which is created by the reverse bending of the free end of the spring 368 around the larger output drum 100, as shown in FIG- URE 8. The output drum 1M will retain the spring 108 thereon only so long as the rotation of the dru'n H20 in a counter-clockwise direction (as seen in FiGURE 8) is prevented in a manner to be hereinafter described. When the output drum 1% is released for counter-clockwise rotation, the tendency of the spring 108 to re-curl to its pre-set curvature on the take-up drum 104, causes it to rewind onto the latter, thereby imparting a substantially constant torque to the output drum 109 in a counterclockwise direction.

As illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9, a locking lever 110 is secured to a pin 112 that is rotatably mounted on the housing 12. One end 114 of the locking lever lid is biased into engagement with the periphery of the takeup drum 104 by a torsion spring 116 mounted on the pin 112. The end 114 of the locking lever is adapted to em gage a notched portion 118 on the periphery of the takeup drum 104 to prevent counter-clockwise unwinding movement of the drum 164 after the spring 103 has been completely unwound therefrom onto the output drum 100, thereby preventing an inadvertent detachment of one spring end from the take-up drum 164 (see FIGURE 8). The opposite end of the locking lever 110 is provided with 21 depending tooth 126 which is adapted to engage a notched portion 122 on the periphery of the output drum 169 to prevent counter-clockwise rotation of the drum 101' after the spring 108 is rewound onto the take-up drum 104 to thereby prevent an inadvertent detachment of the other spring end from the output drum 1th? (see FIGURE 9). It is noted that the tooth 129 of the locking lever is moved into engagement with the notched portion 122 of the output drum lit? by the engagement of the lever end 114 with the coils of the spring 168 on the take-up drum 104, which causes the locking lever to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction about the pin 112 until the tooth engages the notched portion 122 of the output drum.

It will thus be readily seen from the foregoing description that the return movement of the spring 1% from the larger output drum 100 to the smaller take-up drum 104 results in the counter-clockwise rotation of the output drum 1% and the shaft 98 secured thereto. Since the star wheel 96 is supported on the shaft 98 and is connected to the output drum 100 through a one-way clutch (not shown) which serves to transmit counter-clockwise rotation of the drum 100 to the star wheel, the latter will also be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction with the output drum 100 in response to the return movement of the spring 1% onto the take-up drum 1114. Thus, the Negator spring driving assembly described above serves as a constant torque driving means for the star wheel 96.

Referring to FIGURES 6 and 7, a gear member 124 is disposed in meshing engagement with the gear member 102 for the output drum 100, and is secured to a shaft 126 that is rotatably mounted on the housing 12. Disposed on the exterior of the housing 12 and also secured to the outer end of rotatable shaft 126, is a disc member 128 having a handle portion 130 extending laterally outwardly therefrom. The handle portion 130 may be grasped to rotate the disc member 128 and the gear member 124 to effect clockwise rotation of the gear member 162 and output drum 100, thereby winding the spring 108 from the take-up drum 104 onto the output drum 1%. During this clockwise rotation of the output drum, there will be no corresponding rotation of the star wheel 96, owing to the one-way clutch (not shown) disposed therebetween.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 6, a governor member 132 is secured to a pin 134 rotatably mounted on the housing 12, and comprises a downwardly extending, elongated arm 136 having an enlarged or weighted portion 138 at the lower end thereof. The upper end of the governor member 132 comprises a pair of hooked arms 140 which are disposed on opposite sides of the star wheel 96 and are adapted to alternately engage adjacent teeth on the star wheel 96 during oscillation of the governor member about the pin 134, thereby serving to impart a uniform, intermittent rotation to the star wheel as it and the output drum 11. 9 are being rotatably driven in a counterclockwise direction by the return movement of the spring a 108, as described above.

The governor member 132 also serves as a locking member to selectively prevent counter-clockwise rotation of the star wheel 96, induced by the Negator spring 108, through the cooperation of the governor member and the trigger 16. As clearly illustrated in FIG- URES 2, 4 and 6, the trigger 16 is provided with a rearwardly extending lug 144 which is normally in engagement with the lower portion of a curved track 146 formed on the elongated arm 136 of the governor member 132, owing to the biasing force of the torsion spring 48 on the trigger 16 (see FIGURE 2). In this position, the trigger lug 144 prevents oscillation of the governor member 132. about the pin 134, and thus prevents counter-clockwise rotation of the star wheel 96 by the return force of the Negator spring 1%, owing to the engagement of one of the hooked arms 149, 142 of the governor member with an adjacent tooth 94 of the star wheel. When the trigger 16 is manually pivoted about the pin 46 to the firing position of FIGURE 4, the lug 144 thereof is moved upwardly beyond the track 146 on the governor arm 136 into a position adjacent a recess 148 in the arm 136. The trigger lug 144, therefore, no longer engages the governor arm 136, and the latter is free to oscillate about the pin 134, thereby enabling the counter-clockwise, intermittent rotation of the star wheel 96 by the Negator spring 108, in the manner described above.

Referring to FIGURES 1, 2, 4 and 6, a manually operable locking plate 150 is disposed within and slidably mounted for substantially vertical movement on the handle portion 14 of the housing 12. The locking plate 150 comprises an actuating button 152 secured thereto and extending outwardly of the handle portion 14 through a slot 154 therein. The movement of locking plate 156 into an upper position, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 6, positions it in blocking relation to the governor member end 138, thereby preventing oscillation thereof in the manner described above. With the locking plate 150 in this upper position, therefore, the trigger 16 may be actuated to fire only a single cap, regardless of whether the Negator spring 108 is wound onto the output drum 1110 or the take-up drum 1134. When the locking plate 150 is moved to its lower position, wherein it is out of blocking relation to the governor 136, the latter is then prevented from oscillating only by its engagement with the lug 144 of the trigger 16, as described above. It is obvious that the locking plate 15! may be of any suitable construction and may be movabiy mounted on the housing in any suitable manner, without departing from the scope of the instant invention.

It is noted that during oscillation of the governor member 132, the weighted and enlarged end 138 of the arm 136 thereof may alternately engage opposite sides of the handle 14 (see FIGURE 2) to produce a simulated rapid firing sound similar to a machine gun. In the absence of a cap strip on the anvil 74, therefore, the Negator spring 108 can be utilized to rotate the star wheel 96 and to oscillate the governor member 132 to thereby produce a simulated firing sound, created by the engagement of the weighted governor end 138 with the adjacent inner surfaces of the handle 14. The instant toy is thus capable of being utilized to simulate the firing sound of a machine gun, whether or not a cap strip is loaded therein. This may also be accomplished by the engagement of the hammer 56 with the anvil 74 when there are no caps mounted on the latter.

In operation, the sections and 28 of the simulated gun barrel member 22 are normally disposed in telescoping relation within the housing opening 18 and are retained therein against the force of the spring 36 by the engagement of the U-shaped end 42 of the locking member 49 with the section 28, owing to the positioning of the end 42 in the opening thereof (see FIGURE 2). With the gun barrel sections disposed within the housing 12, the housing simulates a hand-type or piston grip movie camera, and the enlarged end 29 of the gun barrel section 23 simulates a lens housing, thereby completely disguising the simulated gun components of the instant toy and presenting to other children the appearance of an innocuous non-weapon article. It is noted that the housing 12 could be formed to simulate non-weapon articles other than a movie camera, without departing from the spirit and scope of the instant invention.

Assuming that the Negator spring 1% is disposed in its pre-set coiled condition on the take-up drum 104 and is not applying any torque to the output drum 100 and the star wheel 96, and that the locking plate 159 is in its lower, unblocking position, when the trigger 16 is squeezed to pivot it in a counter-clockwise direction about the pin 46 against the force of the torsion spring 48, the locking member is moved downwardly to remove its U-shaped end portion 42 from engagement with the telescoping sections 20, 28 of the simulated gun barrel member 22.. The compression spring 36 then moves the gun barrel sections out of the housing 12 to the position shown in FIGURE 1 wherein the appearance of the instant toy is immediately changed to that of a gun rather than a movie camera.

During this counter-clockwise pivotal movement of the trigger 16, its upstanding lug 58 engages the adjacent portion of the lever 52 secured to the hammer 56 to rotate both the lever and the hammer in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 54. The clockwise rotation of the hammer 56 causes the tab 66 of the pawl 62- pivotally mounted on the hammer to engage an adjacent tooth 68 of the ratchet and to rotate it and the anvil '74 in a clockwise direction about the pin 72 against the force of the spring 73. The cap strip 82 engaged on the spikes 76 of the anvil 74, therefore, is advanced from the roll 8:) in a clockwise path along with the periphery of the anvil sesame for a distance sufficient to align the next explosive charge on the cap strip with the head of the hammer 56. The continuing pivotal movement of the trigger 16 in a counter-clockwise direction moves its upstanding lug t beyond the hammer arm 52 (see FIGURE 3), and enables the torsion spring 60 to urge the hammer 56 in a counter-clockwise direction into engagement with the explosive cap strip charge on the anvil '74. It will thus be readily seen that, when the Negator spring 1% is in an inactive condition on the take-up drum 1%, the trigger 16 may be manually actuated to substantially simultaneously effect the extension of the gun barrel sections it and 23 from the housing under the force of the spring 36, and the firing of a single explosive charge on the cap strip 82.

It is noted that the operation described above will be the same even if the Negator spring 168 is in an operative position on the output drum 1%, so long as the locking plate 150 is disposed in an upper blocking position relative to the governor 136 to prevent oscillation of the latter, as hereinbefore described.

If it is desired to fire the caps on the strip 82 in rapid succession in a machine gun-like manner, the Negator spring 108 is Wound onto the output drum 160 by the rotation of the winding disc 128 disposed on the exterior of the housing 12, as described above, thereby assuming the position shown in FIGURE 8. In this condition, the return force of the spring 168 imparts a torque to the output drum 1% and to the star wheel $6, which is connected to the output drum through the one-way clutch (not shown) and the shaft 98. Owing to the engagement of one of the hooked arms 14%), 142 of the governor member 132 with the adjacent teeth 94 on the star wheel 96, rotation of the star wheel and the output drum 100 in a counter-clockwise direction is prevented, when the trigger 16 is in the normal position shown in FIGURE 2, wherein its lug 144 engages the track 146 on the elongated governor arm 136.

When the trigger 16 is manually rotated in a counterclockwise direction against the force of the torsion spring 48, however, its lug 144 is moved upwardly beyond the track 146 into a position adjacent the recess 148 in the arm 136, thereby enabling the governor member 132 to oscillate about the pin 134 (see FIGURE 4). The star wheel 96 will then be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction in an intermittent manner under the return force of the spring 108 and through the engagement of its teeth 94 with the hooked arms 140, 142 of the governor member 132, thereby causing the latter to oscillate and to regulate the intermittent rotation of the star wheel in a uniform manner. It is noted that if the barrel sections 20, 23 are disposed within the housing 12, when the trigger is actuated to effect oscillation of the governor 132, the sections 20, 28 will be simultaneously ejected from the housing by the spring 36, as described above.

Each intermittent counter-clockwise rotation of the star wheel 56, induced by the return force of the spring 108 and the alternate engagement of the governor arms 146, 14. with the star wheel teeth 94, causes a tooth 94 on the star wheel to engage the rearwardly extending lug 92 on the hammer 56 to rotate it against the force of the torsion spring 66 in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 54. As hereinbefore described, this clockwise rotation of the hammer 56 results in the engagement of its pawl 62 with an adjacent tooth on the ratchet '76 to advance both the ratchet and the anvil 74 a predetermined distance in a clockwise direction about the pin 72, thereby aligning an explosive charge on the cap strip 82 with the head of the hammer 56. When the respective star Wheel tooth 94 moves out of engagement with the hammer lug 92, the torsion spring 60 causes the hammer to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction into engagement with the explosive charge on the anvil '74, thereby firing the cap.

It is obvious from the foregoing description that the intermittent counter-clockwise rotation of the star wheel 96, under the influence of the return force of the spring 168, causes the successive engagement of the star wheel teeth 94 with the hammer lug 92 to successively fire caps being advanced on the anvil 74 in rapid succession to simulate a machine gun. This rapid firing of the caps on the strip S2 will continue so long as the trigger 16 is maintained in the firing position shown in FIGURE 4, and so long as the spring 108 continues to exert a return force on the output drum and star wheel 96. Upon release of the trigger 16, the torsion spring 48 rotates it in a clockwise direction about the pivot 46 to move the trigger lug 144 into engagement with the track 146 on the governor arm 136, thereby preventing oscillation of the governor member and locking the star wheel 96 against further rotation in a counter-clockwise direction to stop the firing of the cap strip 82.

As noted above, if there are no caps loaded in the instant toy, the engagement of the weighted governor end 138 with the handle 14, during oscillation of the governor member 132, or the engagement of the hammer 56 with the anvil 74, will produce a simulated, rapid gunfiring sound.

It is believed that the instant invention provides a toy that is sufficiently amusing and versatile to hold the interest of a child for a considerable period of time. With the gun barrel sections disposed within the housing 12,

the toy simulates a movie camera, or other innocuous non-weapon article, and hides the gun mechanism disposed therein. When the child desires to convert the toy to a simulated gun, all that is necessary is an actuation of the trigger 16, which results in the extension of the simulated gun barrel member 22 from the housing and the substantially simultaneous firing of the cap strip 82, either a single cap at a time or in rapid succession, depending on whether the locking plate 156 is in a blocking or unblocking position relative to the governor 136, or whether the spring driving means is wound to an operative position.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy, comprising:

a housing simulating a predetermined article,

means mounted on said housing and adapted to be substantially hidden therewithin, said means, when exposed, serving to change the appearance of said housing,

a trigger member movably mounted on said housing and operable to effect the exposing of said appearance changing means when said trigger member is moved to a predetermined position,

cap-firing means mounted within said housing and engageable by said trigger member for the firing of a cap when said trigger member is moved to said predetermined position, and

actuator means movably mounted on said housing and engageable with said cap-firing means, said actuator means being adapted to be selectively, substantially continuously operated for successively actuating said cap-iirinr means in a rapid manner and being operatively associated with said trigger member so as to be operable when said trigger member is moved to said predetermined position.

2. The toy of claim 1 further comprising manually positionabie means for selectively preventing operation of said actuator means when said trigger member is moved to said predetermined position.

3. The toy of claim 1 wherein said housing simulates a non-weapon article, and said appearance-changing means simulates a weapon and is movably mounted on said housing.

4. The toy of claim 3 wherein said housing simulates a movie camera, and said weapon simulating means simulates a gun barrel and is slidably mounted for substantially axial movement on said housing, and wherein there is provided means for urging said barrel to a position extending outwardly from said housing, and means for releasably locking said barrel in a position wherein it is substantially hidden within said housing, said locking means being connected to said trigger member and being movable to an unlocking position by movement of said trigger member to said predetermined position.

5. The toy of claim 1 wherein said trigger member is manually operable for the firing of a single cap when it is moved to said predetermined position, and wherein power means are provided for operating said actuator means.

6. The toy of claim 1 wherein said cap-firing means comprises a movable anvil for supporting and advancing a cap strip disposed thereon, and a movable hammer engageable with said anvil for firing caps on the strip, and wherein said trigger member is engageable with said hammer to actuate the latter for the firing of a single cap on said anvil during movement of said trigger member to said predetermined position.

7. The toy of claim 1 wherein said actuator means comprises a rotatable wheel having teeth adapted to successively engage and actuate said cap-firing means, driving means are provided for rotating said wheel, and governor means are provided for engaging said Wheel to effect uniform, intermittent rotation thereof.

8. The toy of claim 7 wherein said driving means comprises a first drum rotatably mounted on said housing for rotation with said wheel in one direction, a second drum rotatably mounted on said housing, a coil spring secured at its ends to said first and second drums and normally disposed in a pre-set condition on said second drum, and manually operable means for rotating said first drum in an opposite direction to deform and wind said spring thereon, thereby imparting a torque in said one direction to said first drum, owing to the return force of said spring.

9. The toy of claim 8 wherein said governor means is pivotally mounted on said housing and has a pair of hooked arms at one end thereof adapted to alternately engage the teeth on said wheel as the latter is rotated with said first drum in said one direction in response to the return force of said spring, thereby causing an oscillatory pivotal movement of said governor means on said housmg.

10. The toy of claim 9 wherein a portion of said governor means, during said oscillation thereof, is so positioned as to periodically engage a portion of said housing to produce a simulated, rapid gun-firing sound.

11. The toy of claim 10 wherein said member is adapted to engage a portion of said governor means to prevent oscillation thereof and to prevent rotation of said wheel in said one direction, through the engagement of one of said hooked arms with said wheel teeth, when said member is in a position other than said predetermined position.

12. A toy, comprising:

a housing simulating a non-weapon article,

weapon simulating means mounted on said housing and adapted to be substantially hidden therewithin, means movably mounted on said housing for exposing said weapon simulating means,

a trigger movably mounted on said housing and connected to said exposing means for moving the latter to a position wherein said weapon simulating means is exposed, when said trigger is moved to a predetermined position,

cap-firing means mounted Within said housing, and

power-driven actuator means movably mounted on said housing and engageable with said cap-firing means for successively actuating the latter in a rapid manner,

said trigger being operatively associated with said actuator means in a manner to prevent actuating movement thereof when said trigger is in other than said predetermined position.

13. The toy of claim 12 wherein said trigger is engageable with said cap-firing means to actuate the latter for the firing of a single cap when said trigger is moved to said predetermined position.

14. The top of claim 13 wherein locking means is movably mounted on said housing and is selectively manually positionable to prevent movement of said actuator means when said trigger is moved to said predetermined position.

15. The toy of claim 12 wherein said actuator means comprises a rotatable wheel having teeth adapted to successively engage said cap-firing means, and wherein driving means are provided for rotating said wheel in one direction.

16. The toy of claim 15 wherein said driving means comprises a Neg'ator spring device comprising a rotat-able take-up drum, a rotatable output drum drivingly connected to said wheel for rotation in said one direction, and a coil spring secured at its ends to said output and said take-up drums, said spring being normally disposed in a pre-set condition on said take-up drum.

17. The toy of claim 16, wherein a locking member is movably mounted on said housing between said take-up drum and said output drum, a first end of said locking member being engageable with said take-up drum to prevent spring-unwinding movement thereof when said spring is substantially fully wound onto said output drum, and a second end of said locking member being engageable with said output drum to prevent spring-unwinding movement thereof when said spring is substantially fully wound onto said take-up drum.

18. The toy of claim 17 wherein there is provided means for normally urging one of said locking member ends into said movement-preventing engagement with one of said drums.

19. The toy of claim 15 wherein a governor member is movably mounted on said housing for engaging said wheel to effect uniform, intermittent rotation thereof in said one direction, said governor member having a pair of hooked arms at one end thereof adapted to alternately engage the teeth on said wheel as the latter is rotated with said output drum in said one direction.

2i). The toy of claim 19 wherein said trigger is engageable with said governor member in a manner to prevent movement thereof when said trigger is in a position other than said predetermined position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,602,265 7/1952 Jackson 46-175 2,741,872 4/1956 Sigg 46175 2,892,289 6/1959 Ryan 46-175 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TOY, COMPRISING: A HOUSING SIMULATING A PREDETERMINED ARTICLE, MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND ADAPTED TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY HIDDEN THEREWITHIN, SAID MEANS, WHEN EXPOSED, SERVING TO CHANGE THE APPERANCE OF SAID HOUSING, A TRIGGER MEMBER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND OPERABLE TO EFFECT THE EXPOSING OF SAID APPEARANCE-CHANGING MEANS WHEN SAID TRIGGER MEMBER IS MOVED TO A PREDETERMINED POSITION, CAP-FIRING MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND ENGAGEABLE BY SAID TRIGGER MEMBER FOR THE FIRING OF A CAP WHEN SAID TRIGGER MEMBER IS MOVED TO SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION, AND ACTUATOR MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CAP-FIRING MEANS, SAID ACTUATOR MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY, SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY OPERATED FOR SUCCESSIVELY ACTUATING SAID CAP-FIRING MEANS IN A RAPID MANNER AND BEING OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TRIGGER MEMBER SO AS TO BE OPERABLE WHEN SAID TRIGGER MEMBER IS MOVED TO SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION. 